Requires health insurers to comply with federal mental health parity laws, prevent discriminatory treatment limits, and ensures meaningful mental health and substance use coverage in all benefit classifications.

The Protect Mental Health Act – Plain English Summary

This Rhode Island bill, called the Protect Mental Health Act, requires health insurance companies operating in the state to follow federal laws that say mental health and substance use disorder treatment must be covered just as generously as physical health care. In other words, insurers cannot apply stricter rules, higher costs, or tighter limits to mental health and addiction treatment than they would to other medical services like surgery or treatment for diabetes.

The bill focuses on making sure these equal coverage rules apply across all types of insurance benefits — including services provided in hospitals, outpatient settings, and prescription medications. It also aims to prevent insurance companies from using indirect methods to limit mental health and substance use coverage, such as requiring more prior authorizations, imposing shorter treatment time limits, or setting higher out-of-pocket costs specifically for mental health care compared to other health care.

This bill would affect Rhode Islanders who rely on health insurance to access mental health therapy, psychiatric care, addiction treatment, and related services. It would also place new compliance responsibilities on health insurance companies doing business in the state, requiring them to review and potentially update their coverage policies. The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, meaning it is still in the early stages of the legislative process and has not yet become law.